TRIBUNAL UPDATE. ABS wrote. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola closes defence in the petition against his re-election. The Candidate of APC, Ogbeni Aregbesola today prematurely closed his official defence to the allegations raised by Senator Iyiola Omisore against his purported victory at the Tribunal venue under Justice Elizabeth. It was the 8th day out of 10 days alloted to the tribunal. The Governor was able to call only 19 Witnesses as against the 43 Witnesses which appeared for the PDP. The first APC Witness for the day was Aminu Rafiu Ayofe from Olusokun ward in Ede North local government. The Witness was led under cross examination by Counsel to Otunba Omisore-Nathaniel Oke SAN. The Witness was gasping when he was confronted with INEC register which showed that he did not even vote during the Governorship election for which he was giving false testimony. The Witness admitted that the INEC papers revealed that he instead voted in a Presidential Election rather than the Governorship Election which is under contention. It was further revealed that there was over voting in his unit 9 of Ward 4 in Olusokun where he purportedly claimed he voted. The Witness was guided by the PDP Counsel to read out to the Judges hearing the number of accredited Voters in his unit as reflected in INEC records to which he said 411 Voters were accredited. He however went ahead to confirm that the INEC returned a total of 413 votes after the August 9th election. Another APC Witness Atanda Isacc from unit 1, of Ward 1 in Irepodun local government claimed he graduated from the Federal Polytechnic, Ede in 2008 and have not gone back to school since then. It was however discovered under cross-examination that the same Man registered as a Student in 2011, 3 years after his purported graduation. Documents do not lie! At a point when the PDP Counsel was advancing to make the second Witness confess yet another over-voting at a different local government, Counsel to 2nd Respondent-Barrister Ajibola Basirulabour to discontinue the effort which the Tribunal members rebuffed citing that the PDP Lawyer was in order having told the court that he was referring to an earlier matter of mutilation raised by Counsel to INEC, Barrister Ogunleye. When Counsel to Omisore went on, the APC Witness-Mr Atanda Isacc disclosed that there were 135 accredited Voters according to INEC documents before him, he however confessed that INEC returned 137 votes leaving the number of votes to be inflated by 2. Another unit in same Irepodun showed that only 249 Voters qued for accreditation but INEC returned 251 votes. There are no INEC stamp in the results sheets according to the APC Witness. He went to say the original result sheet of white colour which was signed was given to him and the PDP Counsel quickly pointed out that the Judges should record that self confession of the Witness to the effect that he was given an exclusive document strictly for the Presiding Judge. The panel did not go against the pleading of Nathaniel Oke SAN. The PDP counsel confronted Mr Atanda that he was not the One that signed his oath statement and INEC documents which he denied. He was then asked to append his specimen signatures which is at variance to previous signatures allegedly signed by him. Counsel sought to tender his new signatures as exhibit to which all the Respondents did not object to. The specimen was accordingly admitted as an evidence before the Tribunal. At this point, Counsel to Rauf Aregbesola, Kunle Adegoke Esq. closed his Clients defence and Friday 19-12-2014 was fixed by the panel as the day that the 2nd Respondent will open their own defence. All the Witnesses confirmed the ballot papers type that Iyiola Omisore used for forensic and statistical analysis. Arise... Court...
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 18:43:52 +0000
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